Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is also known as the Holocaust Memorial. Designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happoldt, it features 2711 granite stelae of varying sizes and heights. On the day I visited, our guide let each of us make our way through the memorial alone, then asked us to describe the experience when we regrouped on the other side. For me, the site was cold and impersonal, which seemed a perfect analogy for Hitler’s assertion that Jews were sub-human.
Interesting- I agree with you, Barbara, it seems cold and impersonal. It also seems as if the vastness brings a feeling of despair for the many, many lives lost.
Thanks Sarah. My traveling companion that day thought it was uninspiring. Guess everyone has their own impression, which is OK, but I thought the memorial was quite moving.
Incredibly ugly and does nothing for the 20 million victims of Jewish Bolshevism.
Hi Dawn: Everyone seems to have a different reaction to the memorial. I thought it was perfectly representative of the despair suffered by the Jews and the ghettos within which they were enclosed. My traveling companion, however, was totally unmoved.
Great photo! On the day we were there last year, it was cold and rainy, so the raindrops looked like tears running down the stone. Very moving! Unfortunately, we saw several teenagers/college age kids jumping from stone to stone. Very disrespectful!
Joy, I saw exactly the same thing and it made me cringe. I could not believe the disrespect it showed, as if symbolic of trampling the Jews. Ugh!